It's Fate That We Met
by GreekMythologyFreak12
Summary: Percy Jackson has lived in his troubled past, with a broken heart and not even knowing who his real father is and where he has disappeared off to for Percy's entire life. To get rid of the empty hole in his heart, Percy breaks other girls' hearts. But when his life collides with a troubled popstar, Annabeth Chase, what will happen?
1. Chapter 1

**Hullo everyone! I know some of y'all are waiting for the new story, "Green Eyes", to come out, but I have to delay the story. I am really sorry but this awesome plot just popped into my head and I have to write it down before I go crazy. ;) **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- Me: I don't own Percy Jackson & The Olympians.**

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**PERCY'S POV**

"Hey... listen Rebecca. We got to break up. I realized we aren't perfect for each other." I said to the girl that I had dated for only a week.

Rebecca's eyes widened when she realized what I was saying. "What? You can't! You always do these to all of the girls you have dated so far. But I'll promise I'll change! Just give me one more chance, please?" she pleaded, giving me the puppy dog eyes.

Rule #1: Never look at the girl straight in the eyes. You will regret it and you'll change your choice.

I looked at anywhere but her. "Sorry, it's not going to work out. It was nice dating you though." I say, as I shrugged. Rebecca's face dropped and she looked like she was about to cry.

"P-please?" Rebecca whimpered. I shook my head and I exited her house. _1...2...3..._ I counted in my head.

And then I herd her crying. It made a loud noise in the quiet neighborhood and I didn't even flinch. I grabbed my car keys from my back pocket and I opened the door to my mom's beat up truck.

I slid into the seat and I shut the door. I buckled my seatbelt and I started up the car. In no time flat, I was leaving Rebecca's neighborhood.

I know what you must be thinking right now. Don't I ever feel guilty when I break up with a girl that I don't even like? The truth was, I was already used to the guilt. I didn't really care if I hurt any girls heart. For some strange reason, I feel even better if I broke a girl's heart.

So lets get things straight here. I am a player. It's my reputation. I have always been a player since the..._ incident_.

I was on the highway now and I had to switch lanes in order to get home.

My hands were on the wheel and my phone kept on buzzing with loads of messages from Rebecca. It was the same routine. Every time I break up with a girl, they would keep on texting or calling me, pleading me to take them back. Usually, I would block their number or ignore them.

I left my window open, enjoying the cool air. My hair was always messy and I don't really even use my time to fix it. But I enjoyed the wind running through my hair, giving me the cool chill. I breathed in the fresh air and a faint smile played on my lips. I started to hum to a song that I herd last night on the radio.

I pushed my feet onto the gas pedal a little bit harder, making the car go faster.

This is usually the only time I enjoy my freedom. See, all the other times I am at school, getting swarmed by girls, or I am hanging out with my friends.

I loved the freedom.

Soon, I turned left and I drove into a very small neighborhood. Since my mom's job pay her very less and my lazy stepfather, Gabe basically just waste his time drinking beer, I have to start working in order to help my mom pay the bills.

I walk dogs, mow the lawn, I work as a waiter at Subway, or I babysit kids. The parents pay me at least 10 dollars an hour, and some of the money I earn, I put it in my college savings. I am only 17, and I am going to college in 2 years, and I don't have that much money in my savings. My mom is getting worried about it and I tried to reassure her everything will be alright.

People think I am a jerk since I am a player but I have a really soft side when it comes to my mom.

I parked the truck right outside the apartment that I live in. I stepped out of the truck and into the cool air. I looked up at the sky and I noticed it is going to snow soon.

I stuffed my hands in my pocket, and I walked inside the small apartment. I see a couple of kids standing around, playing with cheap toys. They were wearing dirty clothes and it looked like they hadn't showered in weeks.

I nodded toward them and they nodded back.

Everyone living here has almost no money. We are all poor.

I just wish my mom would get another job, marry another guy who is actually decent, and get a better apartment. Or better, an actual house.

I walked upstairs to the second floor, and I reached a door that read, "2B". I twisted the door knob and the door creaked as I opened it. An alcohol smell filled my nose as I entered our apartment. My eyes watered and I flinched. I never really liked the smell.

I saw Gabe sitting down on a couch, drinking beer. "Your home again." he says, not even bothering to turn around and say hello to me. I rolled my eyes as I strolled in. "Why don't you go and get a job?" I snapped, ignoring his question.

He stood up from the couch, throwing another beer bottle on the ground. Gabe turned around and he gave me a murderous look. "Watch what your saying, kid." he warned.

"Or else what?" I asked, daring to push his limits. He walked toward me slowly, with his big belly bulging out of his white dirty sweatshirt.

"Don't push it, weasel." Gabe hissed, getting up into my face.

I almost backed down because of the horrible stench coming from Gabe. Man, when was the last time this guy took a shower? I gritted my teeth and I clenched my fists. "You know," I say. "Maybe you should take a good look at yourself before calling somebody a weasel."

Gabe narrowed his eyes. "That's it punk," he growled. He was about to punch me, but my mom walked in at that moment.

Her eyes widened when she saw what Gabe was about to do. "Percy!" she says smiling slightly, walking toward me as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Your cookies are at the table. You. Should. Go. And. Eat. It. Before. It. Gets. Cold." My mom said, saying everything slowly. I realized my mom was saving me from getting punched from Gabe by changing the subject.

I nodded before I sent a glare at Gabe's direction. I walked stiffly into the kitchen, with my mom trailing right behind me.

I saw a plate of blue cookies sitting on the table.

Hey, I guess my mom didn't lie. I sat down on the chair and I grabbed a cookie, taking a huge bite out of it. My mom leaned on the kitchen counter, watching me eat. I didn't say anything and neither did she.

After a few minutes of silence, she finally broke the tension. "What happened?" she asked softly. I placed the cookie that I was eating on the plate, and I turned to face my mom.

"I hate him. Gabe always drink beer and he never try's to actually get a job. Why did you marry him, mom?" I asked, as I ran my hand through my black hair in frustration. My mom sighed. She walked toward a pot that was on the stove, and she put the temperature on high. She grabbed a bag full of macaroni and she dumped it into the pot. I watched her as she mixed the macaroni with the spoon.

For a while, my mom didn't spoke. When I thought she wasn't going to answer my question, she says, "I don't know, Percy. I am thinking of divorcing him"-a smile broke onto my face-"but not now." My smile disappeared and it was replaced with a frown.

"But why not now?" I exclaimed. My mom soon added cheese into the pot.

"Percy, I d-don't want to talk about it." my mom says. She was close to breaking into tears, and I immediately feel bad.

"I am sorry mom," I apologized. And this time, I was being sincere. Not like when I was apologizing to Rebecca earlier today about breaking up with her.

My mom forced a shaky smile onto her face. "Enough about me. Why don't you tell me about your day?" she asked.

I mentally groaned, knowing my mom won't like the news. "I broke up with Rebecca today." I say slowly. I herd my mom sigh and she turned around. For a moment I thought she was mad at me, but this time their was something else etching onto her face.

It was disappointment.

"Oh Percy," she says. "You promised me you would stop breaking girls hearts. And you did it again."

I looked down at the ground. I couldn't stand to see my mom looking at me with so much disappointment. "I know mom," I mumbled. "I know." I grabbed a blue cookie from the plate and it was cold once my hand made contact with it.

I bit into it and it was even colder inside the gooey thick substance. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I forced myself to swallow the cookie. I don't like cold food, but with my mom watching, I don't want to make her feel bad.

"I am going to go to my room," I announced and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw my mom nod.

"Alright Percy. Dinner is ready in a hour." she told me, as she turned around, and continued cooking dinner.

I walked out of the kitchen, and I saw that Gabe was watching TV. I walked past him. He ignored me and I ignored him. That's the way we both roll most of the time. I walked down the small hallway, and I stopped at the last door. I pushed the door open and I entered my room.

It technically wasn't my room. It was most likely Gabe's study. But all he does is read car magazines or look at pictures with girls in bikinis. That guy disgusts me. I sat down on my bed, that was moved into a corner of the room.

I put my head in my hands and I closed my eyes.

I wished I could just escape from this world. I always feel like a bad guy.

I am poor, I have the worst stepfather in the world, I live in a small apartment, and I am a player.

What can I say? That I like it? Yeah... sure I do. But the only good thing that came out of my life was my mom. She cleaned and made dinner for me. She basically took care of me. She is my life.

I wished something else would come good out of it.

But what? I think that God basically hate me, but I was proven wrong.

My world basically turned upside down when I met the famous popstar, Annabeth Chase.

**ANNABETH'S POV**

"Annabeth? Have you started on a new song yet?" my best friend and manager, Thalia Grace asks.

I glared at my notebook for a moment before I turned to face her. I was trying to come up with a good idea on how the song should start, but I am having writer's block. I hate it when that happens. It... blocks my mind!

I shook my head. Thalia groans. "Your concert is in 3 weeks, Annabeth." she says. She checked the calendar on her phone to make sure that the date was confirmed and she nodded. "Yup, in 3 weeks!"

"I know, Thals. But a good song is not coming into my mind." I say, as I turned to face my notebook again. I had a sharpened pencil sitting on the table right beside my notebook, and I was waiting for an idea to come to me.

So far, it's not going well.

Thalia took a seat right beside me. "Maybe you need inspiration," she says.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, why don't you inspire me?"

Thalia stuck her tongue out at me but then her eyes widened. "I goth ith!" she says with her tongue still sticking out. I started laughing and Thalia closed her mouth, glaring at me. "Shut up," she grumbled.

Once I stopped laughing, Thalia says, "What if we go to Subway? Maybe if we eat sandwiches, it'll give you some good idea for a new song?" she suggested.

"That is the stupidest idea I ever herd," I say and Thalia pouted. "But," I continued. "We could give it a try." Thalia fist pumped me.

"That's what I am talking about!"

I rolled my eyes at my best friend childish behavior.

I grabbed my purse and I turned to face Thalia.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lets go!"

* * *

When Thalia and I arrived at Subway, everyone was staring at us with wide eyes. They started whispered stuff like, "Oh my gosh, that's her." or "That's Annabeth Chase. The Famous Popstar."

Thalia and I was so used to it, we ignored them. But a few people would come up and ask me for their autographs and I just couldn't say no. That would be bad for my image.

We both ordered the same thing like we do all the time.

A veggie sandwich, with Dr. Pepper, and a bag of Doritos.

We both sat in a booth and as we both waited for the food, Thalia says, "Is anything coming to you, yet?"

I thought for a moment before I shook my head. "Nope. Not a clue. What if this doesn't work?"

"Then we could go to Starbucks and-"

"Thalia, before we know it, me and you will be fat. And I don't want to be fat." I told her, being honest.

She made a face like if she was imagining us being fat. Me, I can't imagine us. Because it's too horrible to even think about it. No offense to anyone who is fat out there.

I took out my song notebook and I flipped to a page that hasn't been used yet. I drummed my fingers on the wooden table, waiting for something, _anything_ to pop into my mind at that very second.

Thalia just started scanning her emails on her phone, hoping she received one from her boyfriend, Nico Di Angelo. Nico is out of town for a couple of days but he is coming back next week. He is a very nice guy once you get to know him, but he likes the dark and he is always quiet around strangers. But he is way different once you know him. He could be annoying, funny, and sometimes weird around his friends.

I guess that's why Thalia likes him. She's weird too. They both match perfectly. Don't tell Thalia that I said that.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me. I looked up and I saw a guy standing right in front of me and Thalia.

He has sea green eyes that looks like the ocean, and he has black raven hair. He was holding a tray with our food on it. His hair was hiding most of his eyes, but I swear I saw something in them.

"Here is your sandwiches, drinks, and chips." he says, placing the tray on the table. I read his nametag, _Percy Jackson. _

"Thank you Percy," I say as Thalia nods.

"Yeah, well, don't mention it." he says, as he turned around.

I raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

He sighed before he turned around. "I am going to say this the nicest way as possible since your a blonde. I-"

"Wait, hold on a second? You think I am dumb just because I am a blonde? Just to let you know, I am a straight A student." I said. I stood up, and I was facing him and I suddenly noticed how close we were. His chest was touching my chest and I blushed a little. Thankfully Percy didn't noticed. But I also realized that there was a lot of paparazzi around but I didn't care at the moment. This guy is a jerk. A big jerk.

He scoffed. "Is that suppose to surprise me?"

I crossed my arms. "No. I am just saying since I am a whole lot smarter than you are, Percy."

There was a lot of flashes because the paparazzi was taking pictures of both of us.

"Listen blondie-"

"My name is Annabeth Chase." I corrected him.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "The famous popstar?"

"Yup," I say. Maybe Percy will be decent enough to back off since I am more _famous_ than he is. I mean for the love of god, he is working at a restaurant! Subway, to be more specific.

"Whatever." he says.

"Whatever? What do you mean whatever? I am Annabeth Chase, for crying out loud!" I say. Thalia started to say something but Percy interrupted her.

"Is that suppose to impress me? Before if your trying to do that, your not doing a good job on it." Percy says.

I glared at him. Thalia stood up from the booth. She grabbed our lunch and she says, "Thank you for the sandwich, Percy. And Annabeth, lets go! There is paparazzi swarming all around us with cameras!"

"This is not over yet!" I hissed to Percy.

Percy smirked. "Alright. I'll be here all day if you want to continue our argument."

I rolled my eyes. "Seaweed Brain."

"Wisegirl." he says.

"Um guys? Sorry to interrupt your nickname contest, but Annabeth and I really gotta go." Thalia says.

Before we both could say anything else, Thalia grabbed my wrist and she started to pull me out of the restaurant. All of the paparazzi started to take more pictures of me, and they kept asking me stupid questions like, "Do you know this guy?" or "Is he your boyfriend?"

I almost told them to shut up but Thalia literally saved my butt.

By the time we got into the car, and drove off, Thalia glared at me as she continued to drive.

"You shouldn't get into a fight with that waiter, Percy, back there." she told me.

I shrugged as I looked out the window. I cross my arms as I sighed. "I know, Thals. But he is just-"

"Hot?" Thalia smirked.

I looked at her with wide eyes. "You have a boyfriend, Thalia!"

Her expression was priceless. "I don't think Percy is hot! Nico is way hotter than him! But I mean everyone could see you two flirting."

I quirked my eyebrows. "I barely know him! We just met."

Her eyes went back to the road. She stopped at a stoplight and she turned to face me.

"So? Did you get inspired yet?" she asked, changing the subject.

A smile broke onto my face as I forgot about that jerk face.

I nodded. "Yup." I grabbed my notebook and my pen started to fly across the page, as I started to write the lyrics down.

I guess one thing did came out of meeting Percy Jackson.

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**So, do you like it? I personally did. It was a great beginning and it ended in a great way. **

**So, *clears throat* would you all do the honors of reviewing for me, please?**

**~Peace-rocks123**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Okay, so I know that I am suppose to be updating A Heart Full Of Misery, but I am having writer's block so I am trying to clear that out. I didn't want to keep my readers waiting for my other stories, so I am going to start on this chapter. **

**Anywho, thank you so much for all of the reviews! I thought you all wouldn't like it, but you do! Which is great for me. :D Now, here is another chapter dedicated to all of my readers who took their time to review, favorite, or even follow this story. Thank you readers!**

**Disclaimer- Me: I don't own Percy Jackson & The Olympians.**

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**ANNABETH'S POV**

"Annabeth, you have got to see this." my best friend, Thalia says.

I looked up from my phone, curiously. "What are you talking about, Thals?"

She handed me the "Famous Weekly Celeb Gossip", and I scanned the front cover. My mouth literally dropped into an 'O' as I finished reading the front cover.

**FIGHT! **

**The famous popstar, Annabeth Chase was caught arguing with the waiter, Percy Jackson at Subway, yesterday at 4:00 PM in New York City. What could they possibly be fighting about? **

**Are they even a couple? **

**Are they secretly dating?**

There was a picture of Percy and I, arguing, at Subway as Thalia tried to stop us, while there were paparazzi all around, taking pictures of us.

I smacked my hand on my forehead. "What am I going to do, Thalia?" I groaned as I threw the magazine across my bedroom and it hit the wall with a huge _thud_. Thalia shrugged as she sat down on my bed.

"I don't know Annabeth. But this is bad. Really bad. The next thing you know, they are going to be headlines of you and Percy dating."

My eyes widened. That idea is so horrifying that I can't even picture it in my mind. I made a face. If I ever see a headline on the front cover of a magazine, saying, "The waiter at Subway, Percy Jackson and the famous popstar, Annabeth Chase are going out." I am going to scream and sue the editors of that magazine.

"I hope not." I told Thalia, honestly. "I would be crazy enough to actually go out with that Seaweed Brain."

Thalia nods. "Yeah, crazy. Definitely."

I got up from my seat, and I walked across my room, picking up the magazine from the floor. I am a neat freak. I HATE it if anyone litters something on the floor and I can't take it if I see a room messy.

I stared at the magazine, before I started to rip it up in half. I threw it in the trash can, and Thalia watched me as amusement glittered in her eyes. "Shut up," I grumbled, as I sat down right beside her.

She chuckled slightly. "Anyway, I forgot to tell you something."

I quirked my eyebrows. "What?"

"Apparently, your dad registered you and I to another school."

I shot up from my bed. "What?" I shrieked. "You can't be serious."

Thalia sighed. "But I am. I was shocked at first-"

"_Was_? You knew this before I did?" I asked her. Thalia nods. I groaned in frustration. First I get in a fight with Percy Jackson, then we both are in front of a cover of some famous magazine, and now _this_?

"What school are we going to?" I asked my manager, as soon as I recovered from my shock.

"The same school as Nico, my boyfriend goes to. Goode High."

**PERCY'S POV**

"Dude, I saw a picture of you and that famous popstar, Annabeth Chase on the cover of FWCG." I winced when my best friend, Grover said this.

"You read that stuff?" I asked him, as I watched kids walk to class.

I was leaning against my locker, at school, Goode High, and I was recently talking to one of my best friends. Girls walked past me, winking or twirling strands of their hair flirtatiously. I fake smiled, but inside I was truly disgusted. Some girls sended me sad looks, and I noticed that those are the few girls that I had dated and dumped. I ignored them like I do every single day.

Grover is a scrawny kid and he uses crutches because of some type of disease in his legs that banned him from P.E for life. He is friends with me but he doesn't date and dump girls like I do. He has been dating a girl name Juniper for at least 2 years now, and they are madly in love.

Grover shook his head. "Juniper showed me the magazine."

"Oh..."

"So is it true?" he asked me.

I turned to face Grover, as I clutched tightly on the strap of my backpack that was over my shoulder. "What's true?" I asked him. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the popular girl in school, Drew Tanaka, walking toward me.

Drew Tanaka had a crush on me since the first day of school. She would always, no matter what, try to get attention from me every single day. As usual, I ignored her like I do to every girl in school. She was walking with her popular clique and they always follow her like lost puppies.

"That you had actually talk to Annabeth Chase and had an argument with her?" Grover inquired, growing impatient, not even noticing Drew and her clique, who was like a few feet away from us now.

"Yeah it's true," I say. "She thinks since she is a famous popstar, she has to be Miss bossy and everything."

Grover punched me on the shoulder, in a friendly way. "Dude!" he exclaimed. "You actually talk to _her_? That's so cool. Besides did you herd that she and her manager, Thalia Grace is going to this-"

"Hey Percy." Drew smiled seductively, as she stopped right in front of me.

I squirmed where I was standing, but she didn't noticed. "Err... hi." I say, acting nervous.

Trust me, I never liked her before and I never will. I dated her once and then I broke up with her, and now she is trying to win me back. But I always decline whenever she asks me out.

"So," Drew says, completely ignoring Grover, who was pissed. She ran her hand across my chest and I wish I could throw up. "Me. You. Saturday. At My house. At 8. Alright?" she says.

"How about... no." I declined, as Grover chuckled. "Ooh!" he says. Drew glared at him and he shut up. Her clique was not saying anything, but I had a feeling they don't know what to say.

"You'll be my boyfriend one day, Perseus." Drew chided, using my real name.

"Yeah, like if the world ends." I retorted. Drew narrowed her eyes, flipped her hair, and she turned around. "Come on girls," she ordered. She strutted away as her group followed her. When they left, there was the smell of a strong fragrance lingering in the air.

Grover wrinkled his nose. "Drew is such a..."

"Drama queen?" I suggested.

"Yeah!" he says, just as all the students parted in the hallway.

"What is going on?" I murmured, strangely. The students made room for someone, and they were whispering excitedly to each other.

"Miss Chase, may I get your autograph?" one student yelped.

"I love those shoes!" a girl squealed.

"I liked the song you sang last month at New York Times Square!" another girl piped up.

"Will you go on a date with me?" a guy yelled.

"Who are they talking about?" I asked Grover, curiously.

Grover nudged me on the shoulder and he pointed at someone right behind me. "You met her before. Remember her?" he says.

I whirled around, and I saw _her_. She was wearing a black skirt, with a white blouse tucked in. There was a brown belt strapped around her petite waist. She was also wearing aviators glasses, holding onto a new backpack, and she was wearing purple converse. There was someone behind her, and I realized it was her manager, Thalia Grace, the girl who tried to interrupt us at Subway.

Annabeth was smiling sweetly at everyone and when she noticed me, she took her glasses off, sending me a disgusted look. Her grey eyes bored into my sea green eyes. Our gaze was trapped for a few moments, but then she pulled her eyes away from me, when Thalia said something to her.

Annabeth started to walk past me, when I say, "Hey, wise girl. Long time no see?"

That's a complete lie because I just talked to her two days ago.

I saw her stiffen up and Thalia whispered something into her ear. She is probably telling her to ignore me, but I am just beginning to have my fun. I don't want it to be ruined now.

I started to walk towards her and Thalia, but Grover pulled my back. "Are you crazy?" he hissed into my ear.

"Nope." I say, acting cool. I pulled away from Grover's grasp and I had a feeling he was trying to decide whether to follow me or ignore me. He finally chose the first choice.

Grover trailed right behind me, and the students parted their ways, like they did to Annabeth a few minutes ago. Everyone knew not to mess with me when I am on a role. Annabeth turned around and so Thalia.

Anger burned into her eyes when she saw me with a goofy smile plastered on my face. She crossed her arms and glared. "What do you want, idiot?"

"Aw, come on." I complained, stopping a few feet away from her. "Don't be like that."

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" Annabeth snapped.

"Because it wouldn't be fun."

"So you like to torture me?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yup."

She glared at me for a second, before she walked up towards me. "Lets make a deal? Are you up to it?"

I shrugged. "Sure. What is it?"

"I don't like you and you don't like me. So why don't we make this easy for us? Why don't we ignore each other whenever we are at school? Alright?" Annabeth asked me, hoping I'd say yes. Everyone in the hallway tensed, waiting to see what my answer will be. Ignore Annabeth Chase? I think not. I rather make her life horrible instead of ignoring her.

I shook my head. "I am calling the deal off. I like to make your life worse than it already is."

Which is also another utter lie. Her life is probably awesome and she loved every moment of it.

Annabeth bit her bottom lip, trying to control her anger. For a moment she didn't say anything. "Fine. Whatever. Just stay out of my way, Jackson." she hissed. I mocked her and she turned around.

She walked away with Thalia trailing right behind her.

I couldn't stop the smile from coming onto my face.

I guess today might be a good day for me at school, which rarely happens.

Grover nudged me on the shoulder. "Dude, your not going to date her and dump her, right? She could ruin your life!" I shrugged as I watched her sign autographs for the other students.

"I don't know Grover. We will just have to wait and see." I say, as I turned toward him.

He rolled his eyes as we both started walking toward class.

We were both in a deep conversation that I didn't even noticed the famous popstar, with grey eyes, turning around, and watching me walk to class, with a faint smile growing onto her face. I also didn't know that the grey-eyed popstar, Annabeth Chase, would actually make my life interesting.

* * *

"Mom? I'm home!" I yelled, walking into my apartment. I took my jacket off of me, and I hanged it onto the coat stand. "I am in the kitchen, Percy." I herd my mom's muffled voice.

I walked toward the direction of my mom's voice, and thankfully, Gabe wasn't home. Maybe he went to his friends house to play poker or he went to get more beer. Either way, I am happy that Dirt bag is not in our apartment when I am home.

"Hey mom," I say, kissing her cheek when I saw her doing bills in the kitchen.

"Hey Percy. How was your day?" my mom asked me, looking up from the mountain of bills that was covering almost the whole counter.

I opened the fridge and I took the milk carton out. I filled it in the glass and I gulped the white substance down. "It was okay. You know the famous popstar, Annabeth Chase?" I asked my mom, as I set the glass down in the sink. My mom nods as she turned toward her bills again. "Well, she and her best friend goes to this school now." I finished.

My mom's head snapped toward me, when I said the last line. "And you won't ask her out, right? Please tell me you won't! Percy, I can't stand it if Annabeth Chase tries to sue you! You know how popstars are, right?" my mom asked me, worriedly.

I chuckled as I took a seat at the table. "Mom, I don't know. But she is one interesting chic." I say.

"Percy..." my mom warned me.

I raised my hands. "Fine. I won't ask her out unless I truly like her, or if I get to know her well."

My mom smile a little when I said this. Hey, it's better making her happy than upset. She walked toward me and ruffled my black hair. "That's my boy." she says as I groan, trying to fix my hair. Instead, they all stick out in different directions, so it looks like I have a very bad Mohawk. Seriously? My mom laughed and returned to her bills. I watched her as she grabbed an envelope, tore it open, and her face dropped when she realized it was just more bills.

Great. More bills means the less money we have.

I saw the worriedness flashed in her eyes, and I wish I could do something to make it go away. "It's okay mom." I say, interrupting her from her train of thought. "We'll find a way to pay for it. God will be there for us and he'll send good luck... somehow."

My mom smiled warmly, as a tear ran down her cheek, glistening from the light of the kitchen. "You sound so much like your father." she says softly.

I frowned. My father? My mom rarely talks about him but she says that he was kind. He was also tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. She says that I have his black hair and his green eyes. I never met my father because he disappeared before I was even born. I resented him because he never visited me or said goodbye to my mother. He's a jerk and he left my mom and I. What kind of person would do that?

"How?" I demanded. "He left us, mom! He never cared about you. Or... me."

"There must be a fine reason, Percy." my mom says.

"It has been 17 years! I don't think he isn't coming back. Ever." I say, miserably.

My mom didn't say anything. I sighed and I massaged my temples. I got up from my seat, and I exited the kitchen silently. I sat down on the couch in the living room as I thought about what are we going to do with all the bills.

I mean, we need money for my college and plus, when I am not here and I'm in college, it'll be hard for my mom. She'll be working, cooking, and cleaning, and living with lazy Gabe. Now I am having second thoughts about leaving her alone with him. Besides, I know she wants me to go to college since she never got the opportunity since her uncle died and she had no family left whatsoever.

But... still. Wouldn't it be suicide leaving my mom with the hands of a drunken lazy guy?

Why is my life so difficult? I propped my feet on the coffee table, stretching them. I cracked my knuckles and I felt so much better. I wish my life could be awesome and simple just like Annabeth Chase.

But I doubt that would ever happen.

No one can change my life. I will be living like this everyday till I am off to college.

I hate life.

I closed my eyes, squeezing them shut. I stayed there still and the next thing I realized, sleep washed over me like a hurricane washing the trees from their roots, and I went into a dark slumber with vivid nightmares that would've scarred a child for life.

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**What happened to his dad? Is he ever going to show up in his life? Are Annabeth and Percy ever going to be friends? When will Nico show up? So many questions... yet you'll find out later in the story. ;) **

**I tried to make this a long chapter even though it's not, so please forgive me. You know, I would be the happiest girl on the planet if you reviewed? Please? :D**

**~Peace-rocks123**


	3. Author's Note

**I'm really sorry guys; but this is not another update. **

**Y'all might be wondering why I haven't updated in weeks, and the truth is, my life isn't going great as I thought it would be. **

**First of all, my dad (should I even call him that? You'll find out later on why I am asking you this question) thinks I am avoiding him. So when I told him the truth that I am not avoiding him, he thinks I am lying. Now HE is avoiding me. He says that he won't talk to me ever again. For some strange reason, I'm okay with that. I guess it's because my dad hasn't been a great father even since I was born. He doesn't abuse me physically, but he abuses me mentally. My dad and I don't have a great father and daughter relationship like other girls do. I am more closer to my mom than my dad. And I know I love my mom more than him. **

**Second of all, my mom doesn't like my BFF, Lila's mom. My mom says that Lila's mom has been ignoring her and lying to her, and I see her point. My mom doesn't want me to text Lila, which I am also okay with that, because sometimes Lila could be a jerk. And she doesn't even know it. **

**Third of all, my sister and I have an on and off arguing relationship. We would argue all the time, apologize, but then argue all over again. It's kind of annoying but I still love her, no matter how stupid and unreliable she is. **

**Next, school is starting up in a few weeks. That means shopping for school supplies, clothes, and all that stuff. And it also means more tests and homework's. Besides, I can't update on weekdays because I need to study a lot, and I want to go to a good college when I grow up. So I can only update on weekends. **

**I guess the only good thing is that I am going to New York this Friday. I won't have time to update, because I'm visiting New York for at least 10 days. The good thing is that my dad isn't coming with us. Only my mom and my sister. When I do come back; it'll be the last day of summer. **

**So that is the whole story on why I can't really update frequently like I used to. I am not going to quit Fanfiction, not in a million years, but I am putting all of my stories on hiatus. I will still answer PM's, but I won't update in a long time. I don't know when I'll start updating, probably in a month or two, but I might update sooner than you think. **

**Please don't give up on me guys. I have so much weight on my shoulders right now... I really need all the support I can get. Without y'all, I would already be broken. Writing is my life, guys. If I ever give up on it, it's like I am dying. Slowly and painfully. **

**I WILL try to update, though. But it might be a little bit hard to do that. Please be patient and pray for me that my life will be okay by the time I start updating. **

**I know this is a very long Author'****s Note, but I had to explain to y'all on why I wasn't updating. Please forgive me and have a wonderful summer!**

**I love you guys!**

**~GreekMythologyFreak12 **


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey! Thanks for giving me all of that supportive reviews that I recieved from all of y'all. That made me write a little bit more than I would have. ;) ENJOY!  
**

**Disclaimer- Me: I don't own Percy Jackson & The Olympians.**

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**PERCY'S POV**

Alright, lets get things straight here. Have you ever felt the need to look away from a girl when she's giving you a nasty look, but you don't? That's how I feel with Annabeth right now.

All day long, Annabeth has been sending me glares every time she sees me, which, unfortunately, is in most of my classes. When I found out, I almost threw a fit.

I mean out of all the mean, angry, know-it-alls, who is famous worldwide, why is she attending Goode High? Sometimes I wonder if God is doing this to annoy me, but I mean I did nothing wrong, right?

And you know what the weird thing is? Whenever I see Annabeth Chase, my heart would sped up a little and do a little flip flop. Which is weird because I never had that feeling before; except for one girl.

But that was the past and now I have to face the present and the future.

I sighed as I feel Annabeth's eyes burn a hole on the back of my head. "She literally hates your guts now," Grover snickered, as Mrs. Dodd's, a teacher who literally hates me, talk about the multiple equations and all that nonsense that I don't really understand.

I rolled my eyes, as I tapped my pencil on top of my desk repeatedly, knowing it would irritate a few people around me. "I know. We only had a little argument!" I whispered, knowing Mrs. Dodd's could hear us. She has ears like a hawk.

Grover shrugged, as he pretended to take notes, but what he really was doing was he's drawing a picture of Mrs. Dodd's being eaten by flowers. Grover is addicted to nature and it's environment, so he always draws this nonsense. But if someone ever told him that, he would go nuts. "Maybe it wasn't a little argument to her," he muttered. "you know how woman's are."

I scoffed. "Yeah. I mean they start to get all fed up about nothing."

"Mr. Jackson and Mr. Underwood," Mrs. Dodd's called from the front of the classroom. "have you been paying attention to what I was saying for the last 5 minutes?"

"I don't need to." Grover mumbled underneath his breath. But then he raised his voice. "Err... yes ma'am."

Mrs. Dodd's narrowed her eyes. "Alright then, can you read your notes out loud? You too Mr. Jackson."

I groaned mentally. Annabeth sneered from right behind me. "Busted," she sang. Thalia laughed with Annabeth.

"Ms. Chase and Ms. Grace, what are you two laughing about?" Mrs. Dodd's ugly voice interrupted the both of them.

Annabeth instantly stopped laughing and her face reddened. I bet she never got in trouble before. "N-nothing, Mrs. Dodd's." Annabeth squeaked out.

Thalia nodded. "We weren't laughing. Someone else must've been laughing and you mistaken that for us."

I turned around and I faced Annabeth, who's face was still red from embarrassment. I smirked. "Busted," I mimicked. She glared at me.

Everyone in the classroom was still taking notes, but a few kids looked up from their work, wondering what was going on. Conner Stoll, a friend of mine, gave me a thumbs up. I nodded and then I saw Travis Stoll, twin brother of Conner, nudged him on the shoulder. Katie Gardner, girlfriend of Travis, rolled her eyes playfully. From across the classroom, my other friend, Beckendorf whistled.

I turned back towards my work, and thankfully Mrs. Dodd's forgot about Grover and I. "Get back to work! All of you!" Mrs. Dodd's barked, noticing a couple of students who had stopped working, and was listening to Mrs. Dodd's as she chewed out practically half the class.

"Man, that teacher is scary," Grover says as I nodded in agreement.

I chewed on the end of my pencil as I continued to work on the next math question. The bell finally saved me from doing loads of work that would've been useless for me, and my mind.

Thank God.

**ANNABETH'S POV**

Everyone had swarmed around me and Thalia, asking for autographs during lunch time, until the teachers had forced them to go back to their seats. The teachers had said that they should act like we're normal people or else they'll get suspended and get sent to the teachers office. I was being claustrophobic and I was overjoyed when they all disappeared and in no time flat, no one else was surrounding us.

"Who does he think he is?" I asked my best friend, Thalia, as I watched Percy from across the cafeteria, eating and joking around with his friends.

Thalia shrugged as she picked up a piece of fry and popped it into her mouth. "Um... a player?"

I turned around, quirking my eyebrow in confusion. "A player? What are you talking about?"

Thalia took a sip from her Gatorade, before setting it down quietly on the table. She fingered her golden bracelet that was clasped around her wrist which was given as a present from her boyfriend, Nico, and then she took a deep breath. "I herd from the other girls all around the school, that ever since 2 years ago, Percy has been dating girls and breaking their hearts."

My eyes widened. "For no reason?"

Thalia nodded. "Yeah. Something happened to him that made him heartbroken, and to get rid of the pain, he dated other girls and break THEIR hearts."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Unacceptable. I can't believe this."

"Well, believe it." Thalia says.

I looked down at my half eaten sandwich that was laying on top of a plastic zip lock bag. I steal a glance at Percy again, and this time, he was looking straight at me. I looked into his sea green eyes as he looked into my grey eyes. Green and grey? Hm... a good combination.

He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Percy chuckled before turning back towards his friends.

"So," Thalia says. "are you finished with the new song yet?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I am still working on the beginning, but I mean, I have three weeks until my concert. I could finish it by then."

Thalia sighs. "Alright then."

"How's Nico? Is he coming back tomorrow like he told you in the email that he sent you a few days ago?" I asked, changing the subject.

Thalia looked down at her feet, sadly. "No. His plane got delayed because of a snowstorm in Chicago, so he is coming back in three days."

I patted her on the back, supporting her. I know how much Thalia loves Nico and she was devastated when he left for two weeks. I thought two weeks is very little time, but Thalia told me it feels like a year. I said that was impossible and she says that I'll know how she feels when I fall in love with a guy. Which I doubt will happen, but hey, life is full of surprises.

"That's okay," I say. "Nico will be back before you know it."

Thalia cracked a faint smile, but then it disappeared as fast as it came. "Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

"Hey, what are friends for?" I asked her.

Thalia opened her mouth to answer; but someone else interrupted her. "Hey Chase!" I turned around, hoping the owner of the familiar voice that I recognize, isn't who I think it is. But as usual, I'm always wrong when it comes to things that I don't like.

For instance, I really don't like Percy Jackson. The obnoxious, stupid, little, player.

I closed my eyes, slowly, hoping he'll disappear when I open my eyes again. "Aw... is Chase trying to look away from me because I'm _that _hot?" Percy teased me. My eyes flashed open dangerously, and I glowered at him and his friends.

"Listen, Jackson." I hissed, pointing my finger at him. "I don't like you. I would be stupid enough to ever fall in love with an idiot like you."

Percy smirked, as he crossed his arms. He was standing in front of Thalia and I, with his friends right behind him, watching us argue. "Then your stupid." he says defiantly.

Thalia gasped. She suddenly got up from her seat and glared at Percy. "Don't talk to my best friend like that, player!" she scowls. Percy narrowed his eyes when Thalia called him a player, but he shrugged it off.

"Watch who your talking to." Percy says angrily.

Thalia clenched her fists. "No one tells me what to do!"

"Oh yeah? Well I just did!"

"Take that back! I forbid you to tell me what to do ever again!"

"Oh... I am so scared."

Before Percy and Thalia could kill each other and get send to jail because of murder, I decided to patch things up quickly, so I could get out of here. I don't feel like dealing with Percy right now, because he's getting me annoyed as every second past by. I know that's what Percy wants; and I am not giving him the satisfaction.

I tried to interrupt or get in the way of their argument, but they were both ignoring me. I decided to go a little bit extreme. "Percy, why don't you just go and date other girls and dump them, instead of wasting your time with us?" I asked him.

Percy abruptly stopped insulting Thalia. His face went a little bit red because of anger, and he was shaking slightly. "Burn!" his friends says, but they stopped when they saw Percy's face.

Percy suddenly took a deep breath. "Why don't you stay out of my business?" he snapped.

I knew I pushed his limits, and instantly I felt bad. Even if he is an annoying Seaweed Brain, I still feel bad when I insult someone. "I'm sorry. I truly am." I apologized and I saw his face softened just a little bit. "It's just that Thalia and I-"

"Lets just go. It's a waste talking to a bunch of idiots. Including the king of the idiots: Percy Jackson." Thalia says, definitely annoyed. Thalia grabbed me by the arm and hauled me out of the cafeteria. I turned around one last time to catch a glimpse of Percy rolling his eyes at Thalia. He saw me and his face broke into a smirk. He made a _call me _gesture and I scoffed. Yeah right. I am never going to call him. Even if my life depended on it.

But, hey, once again, life is full of surprises.

**PERCY'S POV**

"I hate her. I truly do." I say as I watched Annabeth and Thalia walk out of the cafeteria.

Grover stood right beside me, following my gaze. "I think we already been over that subject." Grover replied. "You hate Annabeth, and she hates you too."

I shook my head, denying what Grover had just said. "I am talking about that black-haired girl, Thalia."

"Oh her?" Conner said, from right behind me. He wolf whistled. "Man, she's hot."

Travis nudged his brother on the shoulder. "Dude, I herd that she has a boyfriend."

"Your right," Beckendorf says, as he stuffed his hands in his pocket. "But what was her boyfriend's name again? Tico? Lico?"

"Those are some crazy names," I chuckled. "But, no. It's Nico."

"Hey, do you think that Thalia is dating the Nico we know?" Grover asked, curiously.

I shrugged. Nico is our best friend and he's a few years younger than all of us. But he skip grades, so now he's a senior. He's in the same grade as us. Nico also said that he had a girlfriend, and none of us believed him, because we never saw her before. All he did was grin mischievously and he had replied, "Oh you'll see her. Soon."

Nico went on a trip to Chicago a few weeks ago, to visit some old friend, and during the two weeks, he's being home schooled over there. From the last time I herd of him, he said that he was coming back in three days, max.

"I doubt it," I say. "I mean there's tons of kids with the same name as Nico's."

"Oh yeah, like who?" Travis judged, with a smile gracing his lips. Or was that Conner? I really have no idea since they both look _exactly _alike. And to make matter's worse, they wear the same clothes, they have the same haircut, and the same backpack. I have a feeling they both are trying to confuse everyone.

I punched Travis/Conner lightly on the shoulder, and Beckendorf rolled his eyes. "I swear you all are acting like infants." he remarked.

"Hey! I am not a kid! Did you forget someone _important_?" Grover asked, waving his arms around him, acting like a total lunatic. Wait- he is a lunatic. But don't tell him that I said that.

Beckendorf laughed, as he put his arm around Grover. "Of course not, dude. Your not immature. Your just way immature than the other guys!"

"Thanks. Wait- hey!"

I smiled, as I saw all of my friends laugh and joke around. I always had wished that at my apartment, it will be cheery and full of happiness like right now, but all there is was dreadfulness and pain.

I wished I was born as a normal kid. I wish I wasn't poor, living in a ratty apartment. I had hoped that my mom will find another man in her life soon, who will be way BETTER than my father or Gabe ever was, but that won't happen anytime soon.

* * *

**Okay, so I know that this chapter is really short, but I don't have any ideas left for this chapter. But I'm trying my best guys. Everyone who read my Author's Note knows that I am really busy and my life has been hectic. And when school starts the day after tomorrow, (for me) I am going to have a lot of weight on my shoulders. My mom is going to be way strict about my grades than last year, cause she wants me to get Straight A's. So I'll only have time to update on weekends. **

**I am really sorry guys, but thanks for the supportive reviews! I love them! :D**

**NEWS: A Heart Full Of Misery should be posted in the middle or in the end of the next month! Silent should be posted in two months or less. Love Is In The Air is on hiatus, and I am thinking of rewriting that story. **

**~GreekMythologyFreak12**


	5. Author's Note Again

**This is not an update. Again. **

**The thing is, something accidentally happened with my computer, and it started to act up. All of a sudden, two of my stories were deleted from this site. ****_Love is in the air _****and ****_Silent. _****And now I can't continue it, the data and the story is lost forever. I am really sorry guys, but good news; I was gonna rewrite Love is in the air anyway. ;) Yay! And a new story is going to be published soon... not sure when... but please be patient. Thank you. ;)**

**NEW STORY: ****The Green Eyed Criminal****- Percy Jackson, a criminal, is running from the police once again. He has no place to live until Mr. Chase invites him to stay at his house for as long as he needs. During his stay, Percy meets Annabeth Chase. Sparks starts to fly between the two, but then Percy realizes he's putting the Chase family in danger. He has to leave, but he can't leave Annabeth. Can he? AU.**

**~GMF12**


	6. Chapter 4

**Alright, I know I have been a very bad writer since I didn't update any stories for a while, but you could all blame it on school. School is making me work harder, study harder, and making me stress over little things. I don't even have time to write on weekdays! But I decided to be nice and try to update. **

**It may take me out of my writer's block stage which for some reason, I frequently been having these last few months. **

**Disclaimer- I don't own Percy Jackson & The Olympians.**

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**ANNABETH'S POV**

I closed my eyes, shutting off any contact from the outside world, listening to the beat of the song, as it drifts to my ear and out to another. My fingers drummed on my side table unknowingly, while I hummed to a favorite song of mine.

I feel myself starting to drift away and out the window of my bedroom, to the cool crisp weather of New York. I took a deep breath, listening to the city traffic as I imagined myself back at home in San Francisco, with my parents and my two twin brothers, laughing and eating dinner on Christmas Eve.

It was peaceful and cozy in the room, the fireplace blazing with warmth, as my whole family sat in the long mahogany dining hall table, passing food to each other and joking about nonsense. My stepmom- Lily, had decorated the room with red and green Christmas lights, the chandelier shining brightly from it's position, casting a shadow over the table. There was a huge green Christmas tree in the middle of the well known room, and underneath it were huge presents piling on top of one another.

It was a wonderful time of the year and-

My eyes flashed open when I realized the song had stopped playing. I squeezed my eyes shut again, sighing deeply, breathing in every smell that I could take.

I really did missed my parents around. Even my two brothers who used to annoy me so much that I was going to go crazy.

That vivid image that had mysteriously appeared into my mind was from three years ago when I was a normal girl with no crazy fans running after her. It was the last Christmas I had with my family before everything changed.

I had posted a video on YouTube singing a song that I had come up with and it went viral. It appeared on the news, newspapers, and everyone was talking about it. Then Thalia- my childhood best friend and I decided that I should create more songs and post it on YouTube.

So we did that for a couple of months, before Star Records had started to listen to my songs. They noticed my voice, how the lyrics of the songs went great, and then they made a deal with me. I could go to New York and record an album there, or I could just stay home.

It was a very hard decision for me to make because I love my family so much, but they encouraged me to take the deal. After a few very hard weeks, I had agreed and Thalia became my manager.

Ever since then, I never saw my family, but I did call them a few times a month to see how they were doing, but soon I got busy and I had stopped contacting them. I wish I could throw this life away, and go back to my old life, but I had sign a contract.

I couldn't break the deal so I continued on with my career.

I mean, I love to sing and all, but I miss my family a lot. I would do anything, _anything, _to go back home for one day. Spend the time with my family, realizing what it was like to be a little girl again.

But that's not going to change.

My singing career is the only thing that is stopping me from going home. And New York isn't my home. San Francisco is.

**PERCY'S POV**

"How was Chicago, little dude? I bet it was amazing! Did you meet any hot blondes?"

It was Saturday, and the guys and I had picked up Nico from the airport. We were at Beckendorf's house, relaxing, and asking Nico how his vacation went. Frankly, he was happier than usual. Which was _so _not like him. He's always depressed, but he might've turned a new leaf. Who knows, ever since his sister had died in a car accident, he had stopped being the bright and funny kid we all knew.

Nico glared at Conner. "If you must know, I have a girlfriend."

"Come on, dude." Travis says, slinking his arm over Nico's shoulder. "We all know she's a made up character. You don't have to feel bad that we all had dated at least one girl. Or at least, some people in this room who had dated almost every girl in school."

The last part was directed at me. I narrowed my eyes. I stood up from the couch, and I grabbed Travis by the shirt. I pulled him close, and I stared down at him intently in his eyes. "Why you little-" I growled.

"OKAY!" Grover yells, pushing us away from each other. "I don't want Travis to be a shish-kebob! Besides, Conner would miss him, right?"

"Eh," Conner shrugged.

"What? Hey! No fair dude!" Travis says, straightening his shirt.

"Y'all are messed up." Beckendorf said, from right beside me.

"The point is," Travis continued. "That you need to move on with your life. I know you must've felt lonely with your angry dad, and ever since your sister died.."

All of a sudden, the room got quiet. Real quiet. It seems that it darkened just a little bit, and the window opened, blowing the cold air inside the warm house. The lights flickered for just a moment, and there was a crack of thunder from outside.

But what was most scary was the expression on Nico's face. If you study his face for just a moment, you could see pain etched onto his features. But his eyes were the worst. There were deep pools of fire within his brown eyes, and he flinched, as something crossed over his face. I tried to decipher what it was, but it disappeared just as fast as it had appeared.

"Hey guys!" a familiar voice broke out, breaking the tension in the room.

Everyone's head snapped toward the speaker of the voice, and there stood Beckendorf's beautiful girlfriend, Silena.

She was carrying a bag of homemade cookies, and the smell wafted towards me, as I took a big sniff. I sighed dreamily, almost forgetting about what Travis had said earlier. In fact, everyone almost forgot about it.

Silena was a really nice girl, and whenever she walks into a room, it instantly brightens. She was the opposite of Nico, who wears dark clothes all the time. She walked over to Beckendorf, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I brought cookies!" she announced proudly, setting it down on the table. When no one said anything, she turned towards Beckendorf. Her gaze fixed on his face for just a moment, trying to find out why was it so quiet in here, and Beck, unsuccessfully, try to cover it up with a mask.

"Did I interrupt something?" she says softly, her eyes sweeping on all of our faces.

She then noticed Nico, and her face broke into a smile. "Your back! How was your trip?" she asked.

"Uh.." Nico struggled to speak. "I- I have to go now."

He grabbed his wallet, and exited the room quietly. When Silena made sure Nico was out of ear range, she turned towards Travis with a stern expression plastered on her face. "Okay, what did you do with the poor kid?"

"What? Why do you assume it was me?" he exclaimed.

She placed her hands on her hips, and she raised her eyebrow. "Oh I don't know... maybe because when I entered this house, it was quiet which rarely happens. Nico was averting your gaze, not saying anything. Pain was clearly shown on his face, so you insulted him, or you gave him criticism. So which is it?"

"Hon, it was nothing." Beck says, grabbing her by the wrist. "Travis just said something-"

"What'd he say?"

"He talked about Bianca." Grover piped up.

Silena turned towards Travis, clicking her tounge. "Oh, my god. You talked about _her _in front of Nico? What is the problem with you?"

"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to!"

Silena sighs. "Alright. Who wants cookies?"

My face instantly brightens. I snatched a cookie from Beck's hand, which he had took from the white bag, and I took a bite out of it.

"Hey! That was my cookie!" he pouted.

I shrugged. "Finders Keepers. Losers Weepers."

"I hate you so much," he fixed his glare on my face.

I grin. "I know."

**ANNABETH'S POV**

"Someone's happy today," I say, smiling at my best friend, who had a smile stuck on her face ever since she woke up, and she still had it on right before class starts.

"I am! Nico's coming back to school!" she squealed. I grinned, happy to see Thalia in this condition.

"Just don't kiss him all day long. He has a life, you know?" I joked, flinging a pencil at her. She glared at me, catching the pencil in her hand. She stuffed it in her jacket, and I stared at her in shock.

"Hey, give it back!"

"I can't. It's mine know."

"Your so dead Grace," I threatened her.

She smiled goofily. "I know."

As I waited for the big hand on the clock to strike on 12, I spotted a girl walking down the hallway with her clique from right behind her. I remember her. On my first day of Goode High, she was feeling up on Percy, which was disgusting to even think about. As she past by us, she gave me a disgusted look, flipped her hair, and strutted her hips while walking away with those high heels of hers.

"Who is she?" Thalia asked, curiosity dawn to her.

"I don't know, but stay away from her, okay?" I warned her.

"Trust me, I got this." she smiles. She handed me her pencil bag, fixed her hair, and walked over to the to the leader of the clique.

I groaned. This isn't going to end well.

I checked the clock again, hoping it would ring, signaling us for first period, but the odds weren't in my favor today. I looked towards Thalia, to see how they were doing, and my eyes almost bugged out of their sockets. Thalia had pushed the leader up against the lockers, and she was screaming insults at her. I looked down the hall, and I spotted a teacher walking towards Thalia's direction.

I have to do something. Fast.

"Thalia!" I barked, placing my bag and Thalia's pencil bag down on the ground.

I walked toward Thalia, incredibly fast, as people started to stop and stare at Thalia and the leader of the clique. The leader's clique looked lost, not sure what they should do, but I knew what to do.

What do you think I was nicknamed Wise Girl?

"-will kill you the next time you talk bad about my family! You hear that, punk?" Thalia growled, pushing the leader into the lockers once more.

"Thalia!" I say, once again. Just as I started to reach her, out of the corners of my eyes, I saw Percy and his gang walking towards us from the opposite direction. There was a new addition right beside Percy, who looked a lot like Nico...

I shook my head, getting the crazy thought out of my head. _Concentrate Annabeth, _I told myself.

I grabbed Thalia by her shirt, pulling her roughly back. Thalia let go of the leader, and she glared at me. "What was that for?"

"When you say you got it handled, you don't really got it handled." I told her truthfully.

The leader who had made Thalia angry, started to clean the wrinkles off of her shirt. I read her name that was engraved in tiny letters on the pocket of her shirt.

_Drew. _

"Look what your stupid friend did to me!" she shrieked, just as more people stopped and stare with wide eyes. Drew had a bloody lip, and her eye was throbbing, turning to the color black.

"What happened?" I asked Thalia, ignoring Drew.

"She insulted my family and my style of clothing."

"Plus your hair is so hideous! Did you cut it by yourself?" Drew asked, smiling innocently.

Thalia opened her mouth to speak; but I beat her to it. "Hey, don't insult my best friend."

"Awe, the famous singer is standing up for her friends? How sweet." Drew says. Her clique laughed with her, but I didn't see what was so funny about it.

"Awe, you got beat up in front of everyone! How cute." I mimicked her, using the same voice she had use against me.

She sighed disgustedly, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder. "You just stay out of my way, Chase."

"And you stop insulting my friend."

She laughed. "Like, if that's ever going to happen. I heard you haven't visited your family in forever. Do you miss them? What about your mom? Oh, that's right, she's dead." Tons of kids gasped, not saying anything. The teacher had stopped walking, but she was staring at us with her evil eye just in case if something goes wrong.

Blood boiled in my veins. For some strange reason, I felt really calm. But at the same time, I was deadly furious. No one insults my mom, and when they do, they won't get away with it. Especially Drew.

Thalia lunged at Drew, but someone grabbed her, holding her back, as she screamed, trying to reach for Drew.

Drew's eyes turned wide, but then she smirked. I clenched my fists, and before I could think what I was doing, my fist collided with her face. She staggered back, hitting the lockers again, as blood gushed out of her nose. Students started to take their phones out, videotaping it, and I knew I was going to get in deep trouble.

"Let. Me. Go!" Thalia screamed out, pushing the person away from her. He still hold onto her, with a tight grip, as she kept on screaming curses at him.

"I never knew that Wise Girl could be such a diva," a deep voice joked from right behind me.

I whirled around, groaning when I saw the last person in this world that I expected to see.

"What do you want, Percy?"

He shrugged. "When I saw your friend fighting Drew, and you trying to pull her off of her, it was too good to miss."

"Get lost," I hissed.

"What? Me?" he says, indicating himself. "But you love me."

"Like if that's going to happen."

"Your in so much trouble, Chase. Do you even know who my daddy is?" Drew growls, breaking Percy and I's conversation. I turned around, raising my eyebrow. Drew had wiped her blood away, but it was red now, and it looked pretty disgusting to me.

"No, but do you know who I am?"

"A preppy popstar who wants fame." she fake smiled.

"Wrong!" I say, ignoring the fact as flashes went off. "I am Annabeth Chase, the famous popstar and I could get you kicked out of this school. Just. Like. That." I snapped my fingers, and she narrowed her eyes.

"This is not over," she says, turning around. "Come on girls!" Her clique followed her, as they exited the hallway, turning to the left. I bit my lip, envying that little deva. Who does she think she is? The queen of the world?

"Oh, my gosh. Do you know who my daddy is?" I mocked her voice, turning around, while flipping my hair.

Percy laughed. "You really do hate her, don't you?"

"What do you think, Seaweed Brain?"

I turned towards Thalia, wondering why she is so quiet, when I saw her hugging some guy. Percy and his friends, turned the same direction, and he cursed underneath his breath. "Nico!" Percy barked. "Why are you hugging that girl?"

Nico let go of Thalia, and he turned around, facing us. "What are you talking about? She's my girlfriend, the one I told y'all about." Thalia's face was clearly written in confusion.

I almost choked. "Nico, you know them?"

Nico nodded. "Well, yeah."

"How?"

This time, Percy answered my question. "Because Nico is my cousin."

* * *

**BOOM! Not really a cliffhanger, but some of y'all might've figured it out. Smart Alec's. ;)**

**Oh, my gosh. The House of Hades is coming out in two days! Eek! Sadly, my mom ordered my book from Amazon, so I am retrieving it this Thursday. Which means I am not going to check my Email or go on Fanfiction for two whole days. I don't want any spoilers!**

**R&R!**

**~GreekMythologyFreak12.**


	7. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: There once was a man named Rick. The book he wrote was a hit. But, alas, his ownership was strict. As shocking as Clarisse's Maimer, we still have to write a disclaimer; to those who may be blind, are you out of your mind? So, bottom line: Percy loves blue and Annabeth loves gray. Rick Riordan owns them, and that's all I can say.**

**_Disclaimer written by Amy's Mischievous Little Owl, DreamingOnMarshMellows73, and Mighty Ruler of Gummi Bears!_**

* * *

**ANNABETH'S POV**

If I were Percy, I would've thought having a long-lost relative would've been cool and a little bit unreal. But if you known that your cousin has a girlfriend who is your all time enemy, well, things wouldn't stir well at Goode High.

So when Percy had said those words out loud, _"Nico is my cousin", _I thought he was just joking. But when I had taken a glance of the look painted on his face, I realized he was being serious for once. I tried to rack my brain for any clues that Nico had ever told us about his family. Nope, I decided. I would have definitely remembered if Nico had said something.

"What?" Thalia stared at Percy like he's some monster who just grew three heads. I could feel anger rolling off of her like strong waves, and I knew she was angry. Her teeth were clenched together, and she had let go of Nico's hands, slipping her hands into the jeans of her pockets.

Percy's friends- what was their names again? Beckendorf, Conner, Travis, and Grover? Right, I remember them now. They were all shocked, staring frozen at the scene in front of them.

Nico's face was written in confusion and a little bit of pain. I had a strange feeling he wanted to hold Thalia's hands, but she had completely refused.

I tried to figure out Percy's expression, but he kept his face blank, as if he wanted to hide all his feelings in one bottled-up jar. His hair was now swept over on one side, half of it covering his green eyes. I cursed in my mind, knowing that all his feelings were hidden in his eyes, but now I couldn't see them.

"Nico is my cousin," Percy repeated, and this time, I heard anger shown clear in his voice. It sounded like Percy was also not just angry that he was dating Thalia, but he was angry about something else. Did they have a fight earlier ago? "Why didn't you tell us, Nico?" He glared, as if he was cutting deep into Nico's flesh. Nico flinched, but he didn't say anything for a moment or two.

"You all didn't believe me." he says simply, as if that proved everything.

"Of course we didn't!" Percy said loud enough for almost everyone surrounding us in a circle to hear. Drew had stepped away from Thalia, and now she was enclosed with her friends, as they tried to fix her up again, using- concealer, makeup, bandages, etc. "You never showed us a picture, or didn't even describe her. We all thought you were joking around."

"That was my fault," Nico admitted in a low voice. "But now I have a question for you and Thalia." When Thalia heard her name, her ears pricked up, and she looked towards Nico with her eyebrows raised in confusion, as if she was asking, _why are you dragging me into this? _"How do you both know each other?"

It took Percy a while to response. I suspected that he was trying to pick out the right words so he wouldn't offend Thalia or Nico. "We both met on different circumstances," he finally said. "We each hated each other from the start. But the main point is, you are coming with us."

"What? Why?" Nico asked, just as fear started to bubble inside of him.

"What do you think? I am not going to allow my cousin to date a girl that I don't like."

Thalia glared daggers at Percy. "You don't tell Nico what he should do!" she growled.

Before Percy could chime in with a retort, I spoke up for the second time. "Actually, Thalia, gods forbid I say this the next time, but Percy's right." I confessed. "You can't be hanging around with Nico -no offense- because he could be a bad influence on you. After all, he is Percy's cousin."

Percy and Nico looked at me with a _how could you think we're a bad influence? _Face. "I can't believe it," Thalia says after a long pause. "You won't let me hang out with my own boyfriend. You are not even my mother!"

I winced, as a memory tugged at the pit of my stomach. I remembered that Thalia's mom had gotten in a car accident with her little brother, Jason, and her mom hadn't survived. The weird thing was, Jason had disappeared in the car accident. Thalia had searched him day and night, but she never found him. She lived with her dad for a few years, before coming to New York with me to start her new job as my manager. I know that deep down inside, even if Thalia won't admit it, she still misses her mom. She resented the drunk driver who had caused her mother's life, and she always told me that she will find this guy and personally kill him very slowly, so he'll suffer the pain the exact same way as her mom had went though.

"I know Thalia," I chided, as the memory in my mind swirled around in my head before disappearing off in a white flash. "No one can replace your mom, but-"

"What in the world is going on here?"

I whirled around just to face Mrs. Dodd's, the math teacher that everyone hates. Even though I love school, Mrs. Dodd's can be a little bit unpredictable. She had her hands on her hips, and she was glaring at everyone. Her black leather jacket was tight, really tight on her, so I sometimes wonder how she could stand the tightness right now.

"Why aren't you all going to class?" she demanded, pointing on the watch that was strapped onto her wrist. "The bell had ranged already. It's time for class. Now go!"

In less than 5 seconds I could muster, everyone followed Mrs. Dodd's instructions and they all scattered, racing to class.

How could we all not hear the bell?

Drew started to sneak away with her friends, but Mrs. Dodd's caught her. "Not so fast, Tanaka." she warned, stopping her.

Drew gulped and nodded. Her friends looked lost without their leader, but they carried onto class without her.

Soon, there was only Mrs. Dodd's, Percy, Grover (his friends went to class, but Percy wanted him to stay here for reassurance), Drew, Thalia, Nico, and I.

Mrs. Dodd's didn't say anything at first. She paced in front of me, a stern expression printed on her face, and her hands tucked behind her back. There was only eerie silence in the hallway besides our breathing and Mrs. Dodd's footsteps.

Finally she stopped. "Thalia Grace, why did you push Drew to the lockers?"

Thalia pursed her lips, knowing that someone would've caught her mistake now or later. "Drew had started to talk bad about my family, especially insulting my mom and my little brother. So I got a little angry… and now you see the result."

I kind of felt like I was in one of those old movies where my friends and I was suspects of a crime, and Mrs. Dodd's was a police officer, who was interrogating us one by one. I didn't really like the feeling, truth is told.

"Is that true?" Mrs. Dodd's locked eyes with Drew.

"Well, yes," she started to say. "But that doesn't mean-"

Mrs. Dodd's raised her hand, and Drew immediately shut up. "So how did Chase, Jackson, Underwood, and di Angelo have gotten into this mess?" she asked slowly, turning to face me for an explanation.

I took a shaky breath and responded with, "I was trying to reason out between Thalia and Drew, but when I found out that Drew made fun of her... mom, I snapped. That's how Drew had ended up with a bloody nose."

I pointed towards Drew, but Mrs. Dodd's didn't even take a glance at her. "You punched her in the face?" Mrs. Dodd's says, incredulously. "Why Annabeth, this will not be good for your reputation. You know what had happened in your last school before you exchanged districts. You don't want history to repeat itself, eh?"

I winced. Another memory-not so long ago flashed in my mind. I had gotten in trouble from one of my teachers, because I had heard a student talking bad about me, so I clearly beaten him up after school. Do not _ever_ underestimate me.

_"Annabeth Chase, why did you beat Dylan up?" _Mrs. Curbello had asked me, the following morning after Dylan was rushed to the hospital.

I was sitting in one of the empty brown desks in her classroom, and I averted her gaze, trying to look somewhere else but not directly at her. I stared silently at the brown bulletin board in front of the classroom, which was covered with wrinkled papers of worksheets and yellow post-on notes.

_"He was talking bad about me, Mrs. Curbello. Didn't I clear that up for you yesterday?" _I asked sweetly. Always remember that never talk bad or argue with the teacher or she might be on your bad side when she confronts this to the principle.

She glared at me with her black beady eyes. _"Don't you sass me, miss. I know why you would beat him up. You wanted attention so your daddy could notice you!" _she hissed.

_"My dad is on the other side of North America; hundreds of miles away from New York. Why would you assume that?" _I blinked back my tears, as heat rushed into my face, making me feel hot in this tiny room. I crossed my arms, but this time I was looking straight at Mrs. Curbello.

She laughed, an ugly laugh, as it echoed in the quite room. It sounded like a monster that was choking on his food. _"Go on, Annabeth." _she had whispered, a sly smile playing on her lips. _"Scream, shout, and yell at me. No one will care, because you're expelled from this school, forever!" _

That same day when I was supposed to be cleaning out my locker, I crept in Mrs. Curbello's classroom and left a surprise for her. I had laughed when I heard a scream coming directly from her classroom.

_"SNAKES!" _

But when I had laughed, there was no real joy coming from my mouth. All it was left was sadness.

I stared hard at Mrs. Dodd's, snapping myself from the past. How did she know about this?

"Wait- Annabeth got in trouble in the last school she had been in?" Percy asked, trying not to laugh. I knew that he didn't believe what Mrs. Dodd's had said, because he thinks all I am is a know-it-all.

"Hey, she had a tough life! Knock it off. You don't know what she had gone through." Thalia snaps, facing him.

Grover clicked his tongue. "Oh Thalia, you shouldn't have gone there."

Percy stopped joking around, but now he was glaring at the floor, his arms crossed. He was shaking a little, his body moving just a few times, and for a scary moment I thought he was crying. But when he looked up, his eyes were shot red, and regret flashed upon his face.

"Do you think I've had an easy life? Living in a ratty small apartment with a mom who works all day long, and a stepfather who smokes and drinks, and does not care about his wife or stepson?" he asked, his voice quavering just a little bit at the end of his sentence. Drew took a shaky step back, looking shocked to witness Percy Jackson crying over a little thing. But I knew better. Behind his smirk and his sly smile, there was sadness hidden beneath it. He was upset, fragile and broken, because of something that had occurred in his past. He was trying his best to hide it, joking all around with his friends, being a player and breaking other girl's hearts, because he does not want to face the pain. He tries to forget about it, and I've realized that Percy Jackson isn't a clueless jerk. He's more than that. I think I haven't seen the real him, but one day I would like to see it.

For a moment, it seems that Thalia had regretted what she had just said.

Nico looked at Percy but then back at Thalia. He did this numerous times, and I had a feeling he was trying to figure out what's going to happen next. He was hoping, (and so was I) that not another fight or argument will break out. No one wants to get hurt this time.

"Well then," Mrs. Dodd's says, breaking out of her shocked stage. "I'll let you all go with a warning."

Grover sighed in relief.

"Thank the gods!" Nico says, fist pumping in the air.

"But-" Mrs. Dodd's continued and I mentally groaned. I knew this was coming. "If this happens again, you all won't be lucky the next time." she warned us. "Now go! You all missed half of first period."

Mrs. Dodd's turned around, and walked down the hallway, before opening a door to a classroom and entering it. The door slammed behind her, sending the sound waves down the hall.

"It took that long to sort things out? Gosh!" Drew complained, stretching her arms. She straightened herself, before she turned towards me. "I don't like you, Chase." she says, narrowing her eyes. She wagged her finger at me like if I am a child who has done something wrong. "I'll be watching you."

Before I could respond with a sarcasm retort, she bucked her hips, batted her eyelashes in Percy's direction, and turned around. Drew walked towards her classroom, her heels clicking on the floor before none of us couldn't see her or hear her heels making contact with the floor anymore.

"Thalia-" I started to say, turning my gaze towards her. She shook her head, her black hair falling from her ponytail and onto her face, covering half of it.

"I don't want to hear it," Her voice cracked. "If my best friend doesn't want me to hang out with my boyfriend because she thinks that he'll be a bad influence on me, than your not my best friend. My best friend would've supported me, but you... you-"

Tears rushed down her pale face, and she tried to wipe them away furiously. She scurried down the hallway, and Nico was the first one to break out of his trance. "Thalia- wait!" he called out, running after her.

Soon there was only Percy, Grover, and I left standing in the hallway.

Percy was still glaring down at the floor, as if waiting for it to open up and swallow him up whole. Grover stood next to him, fidgeting and acting uncomfortably around him.

After a few moments of not saying anything, Percy looked up from the ground. But he averted Grover's gaze and turned towards me. A gasp slipped out of my mouth when I realized he was angry at me. I didn't do anything wrong, and I know it.

"If you tell anyone about what just happened, you'll wish you never transferred to Goode High." Percy threatened. He ran a hand through his black messy hair, before muttering something about hating himself, before he trudged off to his first period.

Grover stayed behind, watching him until he disappeared. "I'm really sorry," Grover apologized once Percy was out of earshot. "He's never like this, but…" he shrugged. Grover grabbed his backpack off the floor, which I finally noticed for the first time.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and hurried onto class, leaving me alone in the middle of a deserted hallway.

I groaned, rubbing my temples. I sat down on the cold hard floor, leaned my head against the lockers, and thought about what had just happened today.

I found out Nico is Percy's cousin, I punched Drew Tanaka in the face, got caught from Mrs. Dodd's, Percy just threatened me if I told anyone about how he had cried, and I just lost my best friend today. A lot of strange things had happened to me today, and I didn't like it.

I pushed my knees up against my stomach, and I wrapped my arms around my knees. I buried my head against them, my blonde locks falling over my shoulder, as I closed my eyes, to be enveloped into darkness.

* * *

**I was planning for this to be updated on Monday morning, the latest. But I was just to excited to write this, that I had to finish this chapter right away. I hope you all liked it, because personally, I did my best on this chapter.**

**If you have any suggestions for a new and improved title for this story, send me one! I will give you the credit. **

**Reviews are appreciated. ;)**

**~GreekMythologyFreak12**


	8. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: There once was a man named Rick. The book he wrote was a hit. But, alas, his ownership was strict. As shocking as Clarisse's Maimer, we still have to write a disclaimer; to those who may be blind, are you out of your mind? So, bottom line: Percy loves blue and Annabeth loves gray. Rick Riordan owns them, that's all I can say.**

**_Disclaimer written by Amy's Mischievous Little Owl, DreamingOnMarshMellows73, and Mighty Ruler of Gummi Bears!_**

* * *

**PERCY'S POV**

I stared intently at the math test I held in my hands. I had failed this test _again_, and almost every question on the page was marked wrong. There was a note written at the bottom of the test from Mrs. Dodd's.

_Meet me after class. _

Her hand writing was scrawny, as always. This is the third time this semester that I failed my math test. I had promised my mom that I will try to do my very best, and I'll ace the test. But now seeing the results, my mom isn't going to be very happy with me. I mean, it's not my fault I am not good in math. I have dyslexia, so when I read a math problem, all the numbers, the fractions, the decimals, they float around the page.

I always squint at the words and numbers, hoping they'll stop dancing around and stop giving me a hard time. But it's like they're making fun of me, laughing because I can't even read the shortest of the words, like _the_.

Sometimes I try to read, hoping I could at least past a sentence or two. I struggled to read, the letters tangling themselves even tighter. I give up all the time, after trying to read even a paragraph. My mom would sometimes put me in therapy, hoping I could defeat my dyslexic problem, but I would always get in trouble from the teacher or sometimes they would sneer at me, and say, _"Why can't you even read a sentence? Everyone can read it, even first graders. But you're just useless, worthless. That's why God gave you dyslexia, because He knew you wouldn't do any good for this world." _

That same day they insulted my dyslexic problem, I was sent home with a note stating that I was not allowed back to that place as long as I lived.

I sat the paper down on my desk, as my mind drifted off to how today had gone well.

I really couldn't believe it, once I had found out that Nico was dating a girl I didn't like. I mean, they were numerous girls in this school who I personally don't like, especially Drew, but why Thalia? What does he see in her? She's just a stubborn girl who likes to win arguments.

Then, of course, we had to walk by when Thalia was pushing Drew up against the lockers and Annabeth was trying to stop her.

It looked interesting and all to see two girls fight while we stood out acting our roll as bystanders, but why did Nico had to swoop in out of nowhere and intervene? They were doing just fine without his help.

The highlight of my day was when Annabeth had punched Drew in the face. I would've laughed, but out of the corners of my vision, I saw Mrs. Dodd's walking towards our direction, and boy was she mad.

What surprised me the most was when Mrs. Dodd's had let us all go with a warning. It's like she was turning a new leaf, trying to act nicer. Maybe she thinks if she tries to act friendly and kind, we might return the respect to her.

Yeah, right.

I cringed, remembering how I acted like a total fool, crying in the middle of the hallway, as everyone stood all around me, acting uncomfortable. It was all Thalia's fault. If she hadn't retorted about how I had no idea what Annabeth had gone through, she was wrong. My life was way horrible than that troubled popstar. So what if Annabeth got kicked out of her last school?

I was kicked out of numerous schools, and this school is the longest I have ever stayed in. Two years and eight months is my new record, and I was hoping it would stay that way. Maybe if I try not to get in trouble for once by the end of the school year, which would be great.

Then I could leave this school, and go off to college.

That's never going to happen. My mom does not have the money, and the only way I can go to college is if I tried out for a sport. I might get a scholarship for any sport I join in, but I am not good at football. Basketball... there might be a slight chance, but I'm not really sure.

I guess I'll just go with whatever life guides me with.

The bell ranged, signaling third period is over.

I grabbed my backpack off the floor, strapped it over my shoulder, and I stood up, grabbing my test sheet from the desk. I waited impatiently for everyone to scurry off, and after what seems like an eternity, I was finally the only one left in the classroom, besides Mrs. Dodd's.

She was scribbling something on the chalk board, and I realized it was for her next class. It was a long equation, I was sure of that, but there were so many letters and numbers engaged to the problem, I almost got dizzy. How can people solve these problems? I can barely read.

"Mr. Jackson," she says, without turning around. "Bring your math sheet over here."

I handed Mrs. Dodd's my math sheet, and she took it gingerly, as if it was made out of a nuclear bomb. She scanned through my test, but the expression on her face was masked, so I didn't really know if she was amused at my grade, or she was sending sympathy waves in my direction.

"So I understand your failing math." Mrs. Dodd's finally says, handing the sheet back to me.

I tugged at my jacket nervously, not sure what to say.

"I decided to get you a tutor, Mr. Jackson." she continued. "You have been failing math, and you might have to go to summer school to make up for all of your bad grades, or if you don't, you simply cannot go to college. So which is it?"

Gosh, I hate summer school. It'll be like going to school for one whole year, without stopping in between for any holidays. I could choose not to go to college... but maybe my life would be easier and better if I chose that direction. I mean, that's why we have millionaires in this world, right?

"I'll-" I winced, knowing this will be my worst decision I ever make. "Who's my tutor?"

Mrs. Dodd's smiled. Wait- she smiled? What has this world gotten into?

"In my horizons classes, I have the perfect tutor for you. You already met her, so you two should be comfortable around each other." Mrs. Dodd's said, scribbling something down on a piece of notebook paper.

"She decided that she'll tutor you every Wednesday and Fridays. Or until you receive better grades in this class."

"So, who's my tutor?" I asked, getting straight to the point. I tapped my foot repeatedly, craving to get out of this classroom once and for all, right when she answers.

"Annabeth Chase."

* * *

"She smiled? Mrs. Dodd's actually smiled?" Grover asked me incredulously, during lunch time.

I glared down at my food, picking my way through the pasta with my fork. "Yeah, she sure did. I think it's the first time in an era she actually smiled. But why would she smile all of a sudden? She hates me." I suspiciously looked at the pasta stuck to the end of my fork, making sure it's safe to eat.

Beckendorf shrugged from right beside me. "Maybe she has a crush on you?"

I dropped my fork on the tray, and I looked up, my eyes as wide as saucers. "You're kidding, right?"

"Hey, dude, calm down. It was only just a suggestion."

"It better be," I grumbled, as I repeated my task, picking up my fork again. I almost gagged as the foul smell of pasta wafted up through the air. I set my fork down, and I grabbed my apple, which felt really soft against my palm. "Okay, I can't take this anymore." I say, pushing the tray away from me. "The pasta smells horrible, and heck, I bet it even taste awful! The apple is really soft and warm, and who hired the cook?"

"It's just probably someone who hates kids." Travis piped up.

Grover and I looked at each other, before answering at the same time, "Mrs. Dodd's."

"Whoa! Dude, you just said that Mrs. Dodd's smiled. Why would she hate kids when she's starting to be a little kinder to the students?" Conner asked. But then his eyes went wide. "What if she's an alien from outer space, and she came to planet earth to abduct high school kids?"

Grover was drinking from his carton of milk, but he spit it out once he heard Conner's weird thought. It splattered on Travis's face, and he squeezed his eyes shut, as milk dripped down his nose, and made a trail down towards his chin.

I burst out laughing, and Beckendorf and Conner was trying hard not to laugh. Nico, who was sitting right next to Grover, not even talking or paying attention to us, cracked a smile.

"Dude!" Travis exclaimed, grabbing a napkin from Beckendorf's tray. He mopped up the milk on the rough surface of the table, before using the same napkin to wipe his face with. It was pretty gross. "What was that for?"

"Sorry," Grover snickered, wiping his tears away. "It was just what Conner had said..."

Travis turned to give his twin brother his evil glare, but out of the corners of my eyes, I noticed Annabeth from across the cafeteria. She was currently invested in a book she held in her hands, but she looked up once she felt someone's eyes boring through her. She caught my gaze, an action which was returned by me. She narrowed her eyes, before turning back towards her book, pretending nothing just happened. She was sitting alone at the table, some students gawking at her and whispering how she is the famous popstar and they want to get her autograph and all that nonsense.

A few tables away from her, there sat Thalia, and she too, was alone. Whenever they would catch eye-to-eye contact with each other, Thalia would glare at her and Annabeth would look away, regret written across her face.

"Percy? Dude, are you even listening to me? Err, earth to Percy?" Beckendorf waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked, turning my attention back towards him.

"What?" I say confusedly, letting my mind forget about Annabeth.

Beckendorf followed my gaze from moments ago, and he let it settle on Annabeth. He shook his head, while sighing. "Dude, what happened to both of y'all? I didn't get to hear the full story after the guys and I left. What happened?"

Grover started to fill Conner, Travis, and him in about how we found out that Nico and Thalia were cousins, Mrs. Dodd's had let us all go with a warning, how Annabeth and Thalia won't talk to each other anymore, Drew acting like a drama queen (as usual), but Grover had left out the part where I had gotten angry and shed a few tears.

I gave Grover a grateful look, and he shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Wow," Conner said, after a pause. "Man, I wish I was there!"

Nico fingered a bead bracelet that was clasped around his wrist. He was silent the whole time during lunch, and no one questioned him. Sometimes Nico just need to be alone. It's how he calms down faster.

"I'm going to go," Nico mumbled, standing up from his seat.

"Dude," Travis says. "If you're still angry about what happened a few days ago, I'm sorry."

"It's not that." he grumbled. Nico sent a disgusted look at my direction, before grabbing his backpack from his seat, and he branched off, scurrying off to the direction where Thalia was sitting.

"What was that all about?" Beckendorf asked, me, raising his eyebrow.

"What was what about?" I asked casually, turning my attention away from Nico.

"Nico sent you a look, like if he loathed you or something." Conner interceded. "Did you two have a fight?"

I ran my hand through my hair, trying to make an excuse up. I wasn't really in the mood to tell them the whole truth; heck I bet Nico will hate me even more. It's not my fault that Thalia and I despise each other. I guess if I hadn't gone to work that day, I wouldn't have met Thalia or Annabeth. Then I would've turned my attention away from them, when they continued their studies here.

"Look guys," I said flatly. "I am not really in one of my best moods, so if you would stop asking me too many questions..."

Conner quickly looked away, and quickly changed the subject, debating on if aliens are real or not due to scientific studies with Beckendorf and Travis. They knew not to mess with me when I asked for something, because the last time that happened... everything had gone wrong.

Grover searched my face, his gaze lingering on mine for a few seconds, before he sent me a wary smile, and joined in with the debate, backing up Beckendorf.

I sighed, hoping that for once, the bell would ring dismissing lunch.

* * *

It was the end of the day, and I stood in the deserted hallway in front of Annabeth's last class, waiting for her to exit the classroom with her classmates. The door pushed open, and students swarmed out, relieved that the school day is finally over.

At last, after all the students had spilled out, Annabeth was the last one to leave. She had been engrossed in a conversation with Mrs. Dodd's, and I had a sneaky suspicion they were discussing about me.

Her face went slack for a moment, but then shock spilled onto her features. Annabeth tried to refuse, (well, that's how it looked like from reading their expressions) but Mrs. Dodd's shook her head. Annabeth let a groan slip from her mouth, before bidding goodbye to Mrs. Dodd's.

She trudged out of the classroom, obviously upset. "You two were talking about me?" I asked, interrupting her from her thoughts.

Annabeth jumped before she turned around, glaring at me. "Don't you know it's rude to creep up on people and scare them?"

"Were you and Mrs. Dodd's talking about me?" I repeated, clearly ignoring her question.

We started to stroll down the hallway, ignoring the slams of the lockers and the level of the sound coming from the peers, who were yelling or shouting to their friends, even though they were right next to them.

Annabeth sighed, confirming my suspicions. "Yes. I had agreed to tutor some kid but-"

"But you didn't figure out till the last minute that Mrs. Dodd's had paired you up with me, so I could ace the next math test." I finished.

"Yeah, basically what you just summed up." she conceded, as we exited the doors of Goode High, immediately succumbed to the heat of the sun. "Gosh, it's hot out here!" Annabeth complained, sliding her jacket off of her, and tying it around her waist. She glanced at me, raising her eyebrows quizzically. "Aren't you hot?"

"I know I'm _hot_." I say cockily, letting a smile slip onto my face.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Conceited much?"

"I think not." I chuckled.

We walked in silence for a bit, leaving the school behind us in a small blur, when I realized I had no idea where we were going. "Where are we?" I asked, scanning my surroundings. There were tress scattered all around us, and the wind whistled, dropping 10 degrees below. Annabeth shivered, and for some strange reason, I had this urge to put my arms around her, warming her up so she wouldn't be cold.

I erased that thought from my head, as I wondered that a few minutes ago it was burning hot like an oven, and now it was as cool as a refrigerator.

Where did I got these analogies from?

"I thought we were going to your place." Annabeth says, just as she stopped walking.

"Why are we going to _my _place?" I accused, scowling at her.

She noticed my change of mood, but she shrugged it off. "Because Thalia lives at my place, and she will make our lives worse if we study there."

"Good point," I say miserably, wondering what's going to happen when she sees my small trashy apartment and worst of all, Gabe. "Let's get going."

* * *

"This is your place?"

The walls outside were covered in a shady gray and the floorboards would creak as if it was a thousand years old. It probably is. There were kids outside sitting on the ground, or playing with any toys they could find. They wore ratty clothes, just like me, except these kids has no education. The apartment was pretty small, only two stories high, but I didn't mind.

"You got a problem with that?" I asked, clenching my fists.

Annabeth was scanning around the whole place, and her expression was calculating. Her head snapped towards my direction, and her eyes went wide when she heard the defensive edge in my voice.

"No, it's fine! It just... it just looks sad." Annabeth's voice trailed off, as I walked over to a little girl in a ripped dress, playing with a head-less Barbie doll.

"Hey Samantha, how are you doing?" I asked cheerily, crouching down to be face-to-face with her.

Samantha looked up with her big blue eyes, and she flashed me a smile. "I'm good. I'm just playing with this doll." She pointed towards Barbie, and her smile wavered. "Some mean guys took the head of Barbie."

Anger rose within my body, but I tried to force it down, hoping not to get in trouble again. "That's okay. Look what I got you."

I unzipped my bag, and I scrimmaged through it, trying to find the plastic box. Annabeth had crouched down right beside me, and she watched with her intense grey eyes to see what I was going to do next. "Yes, I found you now." I murmured, grabbing the box out of my backpack. "Here you go, Sammy." I handed it to her, and she took it gratefully. It was a new princess Barbie (with her head on, mind you), and she was all clean and she had held in her hands a pink plastic brush.

"Thank you, thank you, and thank you!" Samantha squealed, dropping the box, before hugging me.

I was caught off guard, but I hugged her back. "No problem, sweetie." I smiled at her again, and this time she sent me a smile filled with happiness. I stood up, grabbed my bag, and I trailed off into the complex, not waiting to see if Annabeth would follow.

"What was that about?" Annabeth asked, running up to catch up with me.

"What was what about?" I shrugged, passing a few kids who were just hanging around. I walked up the stairs, my feet pounding on it.

"I never saw your caring side before. Heck, I didn't even know you had a caring side!"

"I feel so loved," I frowned, walking past doors and doors until I came to the last door in the hallway. I searched the jeans in my pocket for my spare keys, and thankfully, I had remembered this time. Last week I left my keys at home, and I pounded on the door, begging for Gabe to let me in. He refused and I had to stay out here until late at night, when my mom had come home from work. Oh, she was angry, but not at me, at Gabe.

I slid the key into the keyhole, and after hearing the satisfied click, I twisted the knob, pushing the door open as it creaked all the way.

I turned on the lights, entering my apartment, and Annabeth's breath got caught in her throat as she followed me in.

I wish I could tell you how horrible my apartment looks like on the inside, but I can't. I swear it would win the messiest apartment of all time reward. The floor was littered with beer bottles (no doubt it was Gabe's doing), there was some kind of stench wandering in the living room, and the TV was blaring ESPN.

Gabe was playing poker with his buddies, but they all looked up when Annabeth and I walked in.

"Where is my mom?" I demanded.

Gabe chuckled, ignoring Annabeth's presence in the room. "What do you think, punk? She's out getting groceries."

"Why? You threatened her?" I say, glaring at him.

Gabe raised his eyebrows, as he gathered the money he had won. "You better shut your mouth, kid," he warned. "Now give me some money."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no." I repeated. "Come on Annabeth."

I grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the living room when Gabe shouted after me, "Oh you are going to get it tonight, boy! You just watch!" His poker buddies laughed, continuing their stupid game.

"Who was he?" Annabeth asked, clearly in shocked, and now settled in my bedroom. She was sitting on the ground, her binder and notes spread all out in front of her.

"My stupid stepfather," I growled, kicking my shoes off. "All he cares about is himself. I hate him."

Annabeth studied me for a moment, but she finally let it go. "Are you still in the mood to study?"

I shrugged. "I don't care."

She sighed, ripping out a sheet of notebook paper from her math journal. "Alright, let's get to work."

* * *

**I was recently in a car accident last night.**

**My mom's friend had picked up her daughter, Lila, (who's my BFF) and I up after school. Lila's mom had exited the school parking lot, and she was waiting for no cars on either side of the street. What she hadn't noticed was that their was a jeep right behind two school busses and a truck. When she thought it was her turn to go, she stepped foot on the gas, and we were halfway across the street, turning, when the jeep came out of no where. Lila's mom screamed, "NO!" but it was too late. The jeep crashed into the front of our car, and we all jerked, hitting our heads on the front seat. The car swerved around a little, and it finally stopped.**

**I didn't remember what happened because everything was such a blur, but what I do remember was that Lila was contacting her dad, her aunts, and the police. I heard yelling coming from outside, cars honking, and people screaming, "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" There was a siren in the distance, ambulance blaring, and I was so scared. Thankfully, the jeep hadn't hit us on the middle side of the car, cause if the driver did, the car would've flipped us over.**

**God was with us last night, but if he wasn't there, I wouldn't be in this world today.**

**That's why we should appreciate everything we have.**

**~GreekMythologyFreak12**


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